Louvre Leadership Change Amid Crisis

On Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, the Louvre has chosen a new director, Christophe Leribault.

The most visited museum in the world has experienced a string of failures since the October “heist of the century” when €88m ($100m) of crown jewels were stolen. The former director resigned on Tuesday.

Louvre in Crisis

President of France Emmanuel Macron accepted the resignation of Laurence Des Cars and praised her for making the decision to step down, calling it “an act of responsibility at a time when the world’s largest museum needs both stability and a strong new impetus,” according to Elysée Palace.

She continued, “The President thanked her for her work and commitment over the past few years and, recognizing her undeniable scientific expertise, entrusted her with a mission within the framework of the French G7 presidency, focusing on cooperation between the major museums of the participating countries.”

Previously, Des Cars offered her resignation to Culture Minister Rachida Dati after thieves broke in the museum’s Apollo Gallery, however the resignation was rejected.

After the heist, Des Cars stated the technical structure that monitors the most valuable treasures of France was severely lacking.

Des Cars was the first female director of the Louvre in its 230-year history. She began the position in September 2021.

Last year, worker at the landmark went on strike complaining of under-staffing, unmanageable crowds, and poor working conditions.

The museum has also suffered water leaks in an aging infrastructure and a suspected decade-long $12 million ticket-fraud scheme.

Days before Des Cars resigned, Kim Pham, general administrator stated the magnitude of the fraud was “statistically inevitable,” and acknowledged shortcomings and controls had to tightened. The scale: 86,000 square meters, 35,000 works on display and 9 million visitors a year, as reported by AP News.

The Louvre is a “medieval-to-modern palace complex in the middle of a dense capital, not a contained site on the outskirts,” as described by AP News. The historical museum dates back the the 13th century.

New Leadership

Leribault is an art historian and director of the Palace of Versailles. Dati believes the new director will advocate for “international relevance” and necessary modernization, “while preserving the quality of work conditions for its staff.”

The new director is an 18th-century specialist who was trained at the École du Louvre and directed France’s largest museums, such as the Musée d’Orsay and Petit Palais.

Leribault’s most recent leadership was with Versailles, on tof the largest heritage sites in France with a heavy traffic of visitors and a €170 million ($200 million) annual budget.

Due to his experience, he is a “crisis-era choice: a curator-administer shaped by France’s museum system and used to public scrutiny, large crowds and the mechanics of stable cultural power,” as reported by AP News.

Macron Legacy Project

The Louvre overhaul is Macron’s signature cultural project. In January 2025, he announced the “Louvre New Renaissance,” which is estimated to cost €1.15 billion ($1.35 billion), according to the French state auditors.

The modernization will include a new entrance near the Seine. There will be new underground spaces, and a room dedicated for the “Mona Lisa” that will have timed access to ease crowding and improve visitor flow.

French presidents are often linked to significant cultural projects. Georges Pompidou with the Centre Pompidou, François Mitterrand with the national library and Jacques Chirac with the Quai Branly museum.

Sources:

CNN: Louvre museum director resigns in wake of ‘heist of the century’
NBC News: New boss takes over at the Louvre four months after audacious jewelry heist
AP News: What to know as the Louvre gets a new chief after a surprise resignation and a bruising year

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